Li Miao couldn’t help but chuckle at his words.
"Alright then. I guess I can only wish you luck."
Li Miao patted his shoulder. He then exchanged a glance with Faraway before leaping into the ocean vortex.
Watching the two of them enter the Near-Sea Cave one after the other, Shore hesitated.
But after glancing back at the endless stream of other players arriving behind him, he gritted his teeth.
’This dungeon can’t be that hard. I’m a Mage, after all!’
With that thought, Shore took a deep breath, steeled himself, and jumped into the vortex.
The veteran players who arrived after him also entered one by one, beginning their exploration of the first dungeon...
...
THUMP!
"BLBLBLBL... PTUI! PTUI! Ow, fuck..."
After passing through the Gray Mist, Shore landed in a less-than-graceful pose. He splatted face-first into a pool of water, spread-eagled, and was forced to swallow a mouthful of stagnant water.
Cursing, he scrambled to his feet.
’It’s so dark...’
The cave was pitch-black, and a coldness seeped up from the pool at his feet. In the silent darkness, the dripping of water sent a chill down his spine.
He looked around. Sure enough, no one else was there. The pressure on him mounted.
[You have entered: Near-Sea Cave]
[Consume 3 Wax Oil to light an "Illuminating Candlefire".]
’Even light costs Wax Oil... This game is so scummy...’
Seeing the prompt, Shore couldn’t help but grumble, but he still obediently paid the Wax Oil.
A moment later, his character began to glow, emitting a soft Firelight that illuminated his surroundings.
This was a small feature Luo Ge had added intentionally; after all, the Near-Sea Cave really was a bit too dark.
With the illuminating Candlefire, the surroundings were still cold, but the soft glow allowed him to breathe a small sigh of relief.
’Making the map this dark... the designer must be a real sadist...’
Shore muttered to himself.
Spotting the Milestone Spirit Candle behind him, his eyes lit up. He hurried over to touch the flame.
[Milestone Candlefire touched. Rekindling point updated.]
’Alright, now it’s time for this Mage to shine!’
With the illuminating Candlefire and the Milestone Spirit Candle secured, Shore’s confidence returned. He gripped his Wooden Staff and began to search for a path forward.
He soon spotted a path—it was fairly obvious and seemed to be the only one.
Without a second thought, Shore strode forward carelessly, Wooden Staff in hand.
BLORP BLORP...
The sound of bubbles rising from the pool overlapped with the splashing of his own movements. It sounded strange, but Shore paid it no mind.
After learning to use the Wooden Staff, he had defeated quite a few monsters with relative ease, and his death count was much lower than the average player’s.
Naturally, however, this also meant he lacked a certain kind of "experience"...
’I wonder what kinds of monsters are in this Near-Sea Cave. Hope it’s not more of those fish-headed things. Bring on something new...’
Shore was still muttering to himself with excitement.
He soon got his wish.
SPLASH!
"ROAR—"
The pool erupted. A massive monster burst forth with a terrifying shriek, and a foul stench assaulted him like a physical blow.
It was a full-frontal assault on his senses of sight, hearing, and smell, hitting the unprepared player with the force of a nuke.
"AH! AHHH!!!"
The sudden ambush scared Shore out of his wits. It felt as if his very blood had frozen in his veins.
In his extreme terror, he began to subconsciously swing his Wooden Staff, wildly striking the monster before him.
"GROOAAAN..."
But an Attack of this level did practically no damage. The monster’s slimy underbelly contracted violently, and a viscous, dark-green fluid burst forth with a nauseating stench.
SPLOOSH! Shore was drenched to the bone.
In an instant, a searing pain spread across his body, and Shore let out a blood-curdling scream.
Even with pain sensation reduced by more than half, the sensory overload was still overwhelming.
The next moment, the monster’s body stretched out and swallowed Shore whole.
"GULP..."
After its abdomen bulged for a moment, the monster let out what sounded like a burp and spat out a pile of Wax Ash.
[DEAD]
"..."
In his Wandering Soul State, Shore stared blankly at the retracting monster.
[Screaming Sea Anemone]
[Tier: Residual Ash]
[Level: 6]
[Talent: None]
[Skill: Rotting Gastric Juice, Rapid Digestion]
[Explanation: A clamoring Sea Anemone. If you aren’t fazed by its scream, you’ve already won half the battle.]
...
[You have killed the Screaming Sea Anemone]
[Obtained: Wax Oil x5]
[Obtained: Maggot Bait x1]
[Maggot Bait]
[Type: Item]
[Effect: Emits a strong, foul stench. Can be used to attract prey.]
[Explanation: A fat maggot from the belly of a Screaming Sea Anemone. It carries a potent, foul odor that certain special sea creatures might find appealing.]
"Damn, that thing made me jump... Good thing I was prepared."
Li Miao muttered a curse as he picked up the loot.
When you’ve died as many times as he has, you naturally get more experienced. He had been on high alert from the moment he entered the cave.
So while the Screaming Sea Anemone had startled him, it was hardly enough to make him wipe here.
After killing the Screaming Sea Anemone a few more times to check for any valuable drops, Li Miao was left unimpressed.
’The Wax Oil drop is decent, but this other thing... probably only Brother Yu would like it.’
After that cutting remark, Li Miao continued onward.
He remained extremely vigilant, holding his Candlefire Scimitar at the ready as he moved forward in a slight crouch.
Before long, the path split in two. One way was relatively wide, while the other looked like a narrow side path.
Li Miao headed down the side path without hesitation. When exploring, he had a habit of clearing the side routes before the main one to ensure he thoroughly looted every nook and cranny.
He hadn’t taken more than a few steps before he heard a noise.
It sounded like a humanoid creature shambling about.
Li Miao’s eyes narrowed. After a moment’s thought, he pulled out a rock he carried with him and grinned slyly.
The rock was nothing special, but it could be very useful at times.
CLATTER CLATTER...
He threw the rock, which made a considerable noise as it landed.
The humanoid creatures stopped, then turned in unison and shambled toward the sound.
In the faint glimmer of his illuminating Candlefire, Li Miao got a full view of the monsters and their information.
It was a group of skeletons wielding rusty short swords, draped in shredded clothing, with bits of rotting flesh still clinging to their bones.
It was worth noting that wisps of white air seemed to swirl around their bones, though he couldn’t guess their purpose...
[Cave Living Bone]
[Tier: Residual Ash]
[Level: 3]
[Talent: None]
[Skill: None]
[Explanation: Living Bones from the cave. Their frightening appearance belies their utter uselessness—just as in life. Otherwise, their bones wouldn’t be buried here...]
Li Miao was a little surprised to see this.
Still, he cautiously tested the waters, making a noise to lure a single Living Bone over before cutting it down with one slash.
It was incredibly easy.
"Huh?"
Li Miao found this odd, so he grew a bit bolder.
Before long, he had cleared out the entire group of Living Bones.
They didn’t give much Wax Oil, just one drop each.
’Are these monsters a joke?’
Li Miao was puzzled but didn’t dwell on it. He just shrugged and moved on.
Before leaving, he picked his little rock back up.
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